Students CAN Fight Hunger this Fall in Oklahoma City

Schools Invited to Participate in Students Against Hunger Food and Fund Drive

(Oklahoma City) – Aug. 8, 2016 – The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma invites Oklahoma City schools and students to participate in the 12th annual Students Against Hunger Food and Fund Drive, which runs from September 26 through November 11.

Food donations stay local and help fight hunger in Oklahoma City and surrounding areas.

Every dollar donated will provide the equivalent of five meals to feed hungry Oklahomans this winter. Students are encouraged to raise funds and non-perishable food donations to help the Regional Food Bank reach its goal of providing at least 450,000 meals for hungry families, children and seniors.

“The food donations collected from this drive will stay local and arrive just in time for the holidays,” said Rodney Bivens, executive director of the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma. “This food drive provides an opportunity for youth to make an impact in their community.”

Elementary, middle and high schools that collect the most pounds per student will receive awards and media recognition in honor of their accomplishment.

As part of the Students Against Hunger Food and Fund Drive, the Regional Food Bank encourages schools to use the Hunger 101 curriculum to educate students on local hunger issues and empower them to get involved in the fight against hunger in Oklahoma. The curriculum includes: pass skill/core standard aligned activities, supplemental worksheets that reinforce principles from the activities and a variety of teacher resources. For more information about Hunger 101, visit regionalfoodbank.org/hunger101.

“Through their participation, students can truly make a difference in someone else’s life,” said Bivens. “We thank all of the participating schools, students, sponsors, and donors for making sure our Oklahoma neighbors have enough food to feed their families.”

The Students Against Hunger food drive is presented by the Oklahoma County Bar Association – Young Lawyers Division, Devon Energy Corporation and Chesapeake Energy Corporation.

Last year, the Students Against Hunger Food and Fund Drive raised more than 160,000 pounds of food and $58,000, which provided more than 425,000 meals for Oklahomans struggling with hunger in 53 central and western counties. Statewide, more than 250 schools participated in the Drive.

Established in 1980, the Regional Food Bank is the largest private, domestic hunger-relief organization in the state of Oklahoma. Last fiscal year, the nonprofit distributed more than 52 million pounds of food and products through a network of more than 1,200 charitable feeding programs and schools in 53 central and western Oklahoma counties.

Oklahoma is one of the hungriest states in the nation, where one in four children struggles with hunger every day. Most of the clients served by the Regional Food Bank are children, seniors living on fixed incomes and working families who cannot make ends meet.

Together, we can solve childhood hunger. Every donation to Food for Kids between now and September 30 will be matched, up to $150,000, thanks to the generosity of the Masonic Fraternity of Oklahoma, Top of the World, David Gorham and two anonymous families. To make a donation, visit foodforkids.us or call 405-600-3136. For more information, visit regionalfoodbank.org.

About the Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma

The Regional Food Bank of Oklahoma is the state’s largest private, domestic hunger-relief organization and a member of Feeding America’s network of Food Banks. The nonprofit provides enough food to feed more than 116,000 hungry Oklahomans each week through a network of more than 1,200 schools and charitable feeding programs in 53 central and western Oklahoma counties. Since its inception in 1980, the Regional Food Bank has distributed more than 644 million pounds of food to feed Oklahoma’s hungry. For more information, visit http://www.regionalfoodbank.org; find us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/regionalfoodbank or follow us on Twitter at www.twitter.com/rfbo.